Narendra Modi, Barack Obama to Hold Bilateral Meeting in Laos Today

Washington: US President Barack Obama will hold a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit in Vientiane, Laos.

“In the afternoon, the President will hold a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India,” the White House said in its daily guidance released to the press.

The two leaders are expected to make brief remarks at the top of the meeting.

Prime Minister Modi exchanged views with Obama on the sidelines of the G20 summit in China’s Hangzhou on Sunday, with the US president praising the “bold policy” move on GST reform in a “difficult” global economic scenario.

Obama is scheduled to address a news conference in Laos immediately after his meeting with Modi.
Modi will also meet host-nation premier Thongloun Sisoulith, South Korean president Park Geun-hye and Myanmar’s State Counsellor Aung Sang Suu Kyi on Thursday.

He held extensive bilateral meeting with his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe on Wednesday. India and Japan pledged to further strengthen cooperation in the area of counter terrorism, trade and investments.

He also conveyed his condolences to Abe for the Japanese lives lost in the recent terror attack in Bangladesh in which 22 people were killed after terrorists stormed a cafe popular with foreigners.

Abe said Japan was not going to succumb to terrorism and expressed the desire to further strengthen cooperation with India in the area of counter terrorism.

A gala lunch will be hosted by the Laotian premier. Modi leaves for New Delhi in the evening.